Serum prolactin levels in Behcet's disease

II İNGİLİZCE ÖZET Susceptibility to autoimmune disorders is partly a genetic phenomenon, but may be influenced by hormones. Studies of animal models of arthritis have recently shown that the immune system is a target of pituitary hormones. The pituitary gland has the capacity to regulate immune function as it secretes both immunostimulatory growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and immunosuppressive adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) hormones. Glucocorticoids secreted by the adrenal gland in response to ACTH antagonized the immunostimulatory effects of GH and PRL. In humans an association has been found between hyperprolactinemia and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), endogenous iridocyclitis, Addison's disease, autoimmune thyroid disease. Taken together these results, there is a relationship between elevated PRL levels and autoimmune disease. PRL contributes to the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. Therefore in this study, we investigated serum levels of PRL in patients with Behcet's disease. Patients in this study were confirmed to have met the international diagnostic criteria for the Behcet's disease. A total of 29 patients (17 male and 12 female) aged 36.4 ± 8.1 (range 21-54) and 29 healthy controls (17 male and 12 female) aged 36 ± 8 (range 24-55) were included in mis study. Patients and controls were divided into 3 groups and all groups were compared to those of age and sex matched controls. At the first step whole Behcet's patients, at the second step male and female Behcet's patients and finally at the third step only active male Behcet's patients were compared to those of age and sex matched controls. As the number of active female patients were not enough to make a healthy statistic, active females could not been compared with controls at the third step. Behcet's disease considered to be active if any 2 of the symptoms among oral ulceration, genital ulceration, eye lesions, skin lesions, positive pathergy test, arthritis and thrombophlebitis were present at the time of clinical assesment. PRL hormone levels of Behcet's patients in all groups were higher man to those of age and sex matched healthy controls. But statisticaly the differences were not significant in all groups eventhough the patients in active phase in third group (p > 0.05). Our study with the limited number of patients suggests that PRL is not play a major role in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease. As pituitary hormones, especially PRL have been reported to play a role in a number of autoimmune processes, further studies will clarify the possible role of that hormone in the etiology of Behcet's disease.